Out of Italia

I know this is supposed to be about Italy and Italian food and Italian people and Italian adventures. But, this is my first time on the European continent and I felt the need to explore. Thus, for fall break I headed for Barcelona, the social capital of Spain.

If I knew little of Italy and Italian culture, I knew virtually nothing of Spain. Yeah, yeah... Beckham played for Real Madrid where Christiano Ronaldo plays now alongside Karim Benzema and Kaka. Of course Barcelona has the epic Camp Nou, housing the football giants Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovich and Pedro. But anyway, as you can see I define everything European by an international football standard.

Upon my arrival, keeping my relative ignorance in mind, I was immediately struck by a second bout of linguistic immersion. My mind had managed the difficult cold water bath of Italian immersion and had gradually adapted to the reality which I faced. Extricating myself from this relative comfort was far from simple. In my linguistically simple state of mind I would look at a person who didn't speak English and immediately turn to my 'go to' for the last 2 months: Italian.

"Cuantos personas?" the waiter would ask.
"Umm... tre... oh shit tres, TRES," would come the delayed answer.

This situation repeated itself multiple times with different words and different people. Although slightly embarrassing, I was quick to realize that Barcelona, like bigger Italian cities like Milan or Rome were much more used to tourists and bumbling English speakers. Through a pretty terrible creole of English, Italian and Spanish, we were able to navigate through the city with relative ease. Barcelona houses an excellent train/subway system providing easy access to all parts of the city.

Barcelona is an impressive city, visually and culturally. No doubt a modern city, there are still distinguishable districts based upon time period. The historic Gothic Cathedral loomed large over us immediately upon exit of the subway. Any thought that I had become jaded by the age and legacy of Italy's numerous monuments dissipated. Although some call the Cathedral ugly and a scar on the face of the city, it was nonetheless impressive in it's menacing stature. The statues lacked the intricate definition of those I had seen in Italy but the curvature, the stylistic dedication and the immense size created a whole new, equally stunning appeal.

I enjoy more than anything else, simply exploring a city, discovering the little niches and little details that the travel books don't mention. Like what color the trash cans are (blue), how many bikes there are (not as much as Italy) and how many annoying street vendors there are (a lot). What impressed me the most about Barcelona was it's balance of historical monuments, modern architecture and green spaces. In many ways, Barcelona could be a European melding of Seattle and Los Angeles. The sprawling and grand nature was much akin to LA while the emphasis on creating green space, easily walkable distances and open markets (the Boqueria was a lot of what Pike Place is to Seattle w/o the beautiful views) reminded me much of my own city.

Despite my language shortcomings, I felt very much at home within the city. Perhaps there were a few more tourist than I would have liked, but this was actually a city. Multi-ethnic, youth-friendly and exciting.

By the end of the trip, I was certainly ready to come back to Italy where I could order food in a restaurant with little problem. But language aside, the architecture was great, the city was greater and the tapas was the greatest. Barcelona didn't just offer me the chance to see another European city, but it allowed me a certain perspective on my experience in Italy. Before Italy, I had virtually no reference points via European neighbors. While my comparisons by American standard were certainly enlightening, a Spanish comparison brought a whole new perspective. Italy's individuality was certainly confirmed and if anything, the visit brought extra respect to both countries.